Ivy’s eyes met mine, and I sighed. “Sure. Garden okay?”
Again she looked at Ivy, as if wondering why the woman wasn’t leaving. Grimacing, Ellasbeth stood. “That’s fine.” Heels clacking and purse held tight to herself, she set her mug down and headed out, already knowing the way. She’d been here once before to pick up Lucy when I’d rescued her from Ku’Sox.
Jenks landed on my shoulder as I went to follow. “You want me to keep an eye on you?”
“No. Yes.” I hesitated. I’d likely be more vocal in my opinions if we were out of the church and away from Nina. “Eye, yes. Ears, no.”
He flew backward, out of my way. “You’re no fun.”
Ivy took the pen from between her teeth. “Be nice,” she said, and I smiled, then hustled to catch the screen door before it slammed.
Ellasbeth was already outside, her cream heels looking odd in the sun-starved grass that eked out a living under the big tree. Her nose was wrinkled, and I could hear pixies in the branches. I hoped to God that they wouldn’t start dropping things on us. “Okay, shoot,” I said as I came down the stairs, and she turned to me, that ring of hers sparkling even in the dim light.
“I’d like to ask you to stop confusing Trent.”
Tired, I sat down at the picnic table, the wood still slightly damp from the last rain. “No problem.” I’d missed a chip, and I flicked it off me.
“Stop being so flippant,” she said, frowning. “I’m not blind. You’re confusing him. Making this harder than it needs to be.”
For who? You or him? “Ellasbeth, Trent and I already had this talk.” And then we went on a date. “As long as Quen is making the trek out to your place every three months, I’m going to be doing security while he’s gone. I know he’s going to marry you, and quite frankly, I can’t stomach the idea of being a mistress even if I did like him that way.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. “So as long as Quen keeps leaving, I’m the one for the job. And it is a job.”
She was eyeing me, looking for lies, her hat shading her face whereas it shone hot and full on mine. “Then you’re not . . .”
Guilt tugged at me. Want was not an action. “I’m not sleeping with him, no.” Damn fine kiss, though. “Never have.” My gut hurt, and I looked out over the graveyard. The grass was long and needed cutting. Everything was going to hell with Jenks’s kids leaving.
“Thank you,” she said, appearing to take that on faith.
Reclining against the damp wood, I looked at her. “But if I find out you’re not treating him right, I’ll make your life miserable.”
Her expression blanked, and I wondered if she was trying to figure out if it was a joke. Above us, the eavesdropping pixies shot out of the trees, arrowing for the chimney and vanishing down it as if someone had shouted “Honey!”
From inside, Ivy’s voice rose. “Nina! No!”
I stood as the torn leaves drifted over us. “You had to wake her up,” I said bitterly, then strode to the steps. Ivy might need some help. “Stay out here!” I told Ellasbeth. “You’re too angry to be around her right now.”
“Rache!” Jenks shouted from inside, and I took the stairs two at a time.
I yanked open the back door, reeling as the vampire pheromones hit me like a wall. My hand clamped to my neck and I staggered through the living room, other hand on the archway, to look into the kitchen. Ivy had Nina pinned front-first to the wall, Nina’s head turned to me as Ivy wrenched the woman’s arm up behind her. There was a huge knife in Nina’s hand, and I felt myself pale. Both women’s eyes were black, and Ivy looked scared that she might hurt Nina.
“It’s okay, Nina. Breathe,” she said as she struggled to keep Nina unmoving. “Look at me. I’m not angry. Breathe.”
“Morgan,” Nina snarled, a heavy intelligence glittering in her eyes. “Tell Tamwood to let me go.”
“It’s Felix,” Jenks said, and I pushed up from the archway and edged inside. My pulse pounded. The elegant, young Hispanic woman with her face pressed into the wall struggled, and Ivy slipped a foot between hers, ready to pull her down. I could see the sick master vampire in Nina’s stance, belligerent and angry that Ivy, a living vampire, had managed to best him, even if he was in the body of a weaker, inexperienced woman. It had been weeks since the master vampire had taken Nina over. But how? All the undead vampires were sleeping!
“Let me go. I can help!” Nina shouted, the domination in her voice coming out in a frustrated howl. She wiggled again, and Ivy yanked her foot out from under her. They both hit the floor, chairs sliding out of the way as they fought for control of the knife.
“I’m sane, I tell you! I need Nina!” Nina screamed as Ivy got the knife. With a backward flip of the wrist, she flung it into the wall where it stuck, quivering. “Let me go! I am cognizant. I’m not ill!”
Tears fell freely from Ivy as she pinned Nina to the floor. “Fight him, Nina. You can do this. You can! You’re stronger than him, and it pisses him off that you know it!”
“Get off!” she howled. “I’m no longer ill! I can help, but only if I’m in Nina!”
Hair falling to hide her face, Ivy leaned low over her. “I love you, Nina. Don’t believe him. He lies. He can’t hurt you if you push him out. I’ll keep him away. I promise. I promise. Just get him out!”
The soft scuff behind me gave me warning, and I spun, trying to force Ellasbeth back. Any more fear in the air might give Felix the strength to completely break Nina’s mind.
“I told you to stay out,” I hissed, pushing her into the hall.
“Oh my God!” Ellasbeth said as Nina bucked to get Ivy off her.
“I’m not sick! With Nina, I can help!”
Ellasbeth’s face was white, and she looked into the kitchen as I shoved her into the living room. “This is a madhouse!”
Right now, I couldn’t argue with her, but she’d caused the problem to begin with. “We told you not to wake her up,” I said as I finally got the woman into the living room. “Sit down and shut up.” I pointed to the couch, and she sat.
Shaking, I went back in case Ivy needed me. They’d sat up, Ivy’s long legs wrapped around Nina as she held her unmoving before her in her lap. Nina’s hair was everywhere, mixing with Ivy’s, the ponytail long gone. I could tell just by Nina’s snarl that Felix was still in her.